This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/250,698, entitled xe2x80x9cSystem for Configuring Devices for a Computer System,xe2x80x9d filed on May 27, 1994.
The present invention relates to data processing systems and, more particularly described, relates to configuring devices for operation with a computer without user intervention.
The process of installing a peripheral device or an add-on type adapter board for use with a personal computer can be a relatively frustrating experience for the typical computer user. Nevertheless, a computer typically will not operate with a newly installed component until the user has completed a proper allocation of resources. Computer resources are allocated during a configuration process to permit the conflict-free use of the limited resources. To configure the computer, the user often must complete a relatively complex series of technical tasks. Thus, the difficulties faced by many users during the configuration process are emphasized by the absence of an automated process for resolving resource conflicts.
For many personal computers, neither the operating system nor the application programs running on the computer can determine which hardware components are connected to the computer. Likewise, the various hardware components connected to the computer often fail to detect the occurrence of a conflict between different hardware devices that attempt to share the same resource. Accordingly, a user typically must resolve a resource conflict by first identifying the problem and thereafter experimenting with hardware and software configurations in an attempt to correct the resource conflict.
When attempting to tackle hardware and software integration issues, the user is exposed to technical concepts that can be somewhat confusing for those without technical training, such as computer architecture issues, including hardware interrupts, direct memory access (DMA) channels, memory addresses, and input/output (I/O) ports. Likewise, many common configuration tasks require the user to be familiar with the finer details of the computer""s operating system, including system configuration files, such as Autoexec.Bat, Config.Sys, and *.Ini files. In view of these technical concepts, some users find the configuration process so intimidating that they refuse to consider upgrading a component of their personal computer or connecting a new peripheral device to add a new capability to their computer.
Unlike today, early personal computers required minimum coordination between the computer hardware and software components. Users were presented with few difficult configuration issues after the initial installation of the computer. A limited number of peripheral devices were commercially available for supplementing the processing functions of the personal computer. In addition, early personal computers were primarily used for dedicated tasks, such as word processing or calculating financial information with a spreadsheet program, at a fixed desktop location.
In contrast, present computers are often portable systems that can be regularly connected to different peripheral devices and external systems. There exists many more computer peripheral devices that require the use of resources during computer operation than the limited quantity of available resources. Furthermore, a user can harness the powerful computing operations of a present personal computer to complete numerous tasks outside the traditional realm of word processing and financial calculations, such as graphics, audio, and video. For example, numerous peripheral devices and add-on systems are now commercially available to enable the user to customize the functions and operating characteristics of a personal computer. Docking-type computers enable a user to operate a mobile computer at either a base station or in remote locations. Thus, the rapid acceptance of portable computing and the multi-faceted uses of the personal computer emphasize the need for supplying a xe2x80x9cuser friendlyxe2x80x9d system that configures new hardware or software devices for use with the computer.
The Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) standard is a widely used bus architecture for personal computers. The ISA expansion bus, which is commonly associated with the IBM Personal Computer AT and other compatible computers, provides a 16-bit bus that supports the connection of adapter boards within the computer. The ISA bus structure requires allocation of resources, such as hardware interrupts, DMA channels, memory addresses, and I/O ports, among multiple ISA-compatible adapter boards connected to the ISA expansion bus. However, the ISA standard does not define a hardware or software mechanism for allocating those resources for use by the installed adapter boards. Consequently, configuration of the ISA adapter boards is typically completed by connecting jumper blocks or changing switch settings on the boards to change the decode maps for memory and I/O ports and to direct the DMA channels and interrupt signals to various pins along the expansion bus. Furthermore, system configuration program files of the operating system may need to be updated to reflect any modifications to the resource allocation.
Alternative expansion bus standards, such as the Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) and the Extended Indust Standard Architecture (EISA) standards, have limited hardware and software mechanisms to identify resources requested by a peripheral device and to resolve resource conflicts. However, these mechanisms are not implemented by the computer""s operating system and are not compatible with the large installed base of personal computers based on the ISA standard. Furthermore, computers implementing the MCA and EISA standards are generally more expensive than ISA-compatible computers and lack the variety of add-on adapter boards and peripheral devices available for use with ISA-compatible computers.
To address the issue of configuration management, the computer industry is at present offering full-featured computers having preconfigured hardware and preinstalled software, thereby eliminating the need for a user to conduct the installation and configuration tasks for the purchased computer. However, this is a somewhat limited solution because vendors typically market a computer having a standard configuration of hardware and software components. Thus, this approach defeats the flexibility offered by the ISA bus expansion structure because users cannot obtain a computer capable of performing a customized function through this standardized configuration approach.
To overcome the frustration of users with present complicated configuration processes, it would be desirable to provide a system for automatically configuring a peripheral device or adapter board for a computer. A system is needed to enable a user to simply connect a device to the computer, turn on the computer, and have the device properly work with the computer. There is a further need for a system that determines the optimal configuration for its resources and enables application programs to fully utilize the available resources.
In recognition of the problems of prior configuration processes, the present invention provides a system that permits easy installation and configuration of devices which are capable of identifying themselves and declaring their services and resource requirements to the computer. The device identification and resource requirement information enable the system to determine and establish a working configuration for all devices connected to the computer, and to load the appropriate device drivers. In this manner, the present invention supports a variety of computer bus architectures and device classes. Accordingly, the present invention efficiently allocates system resources between the devices of the computer without substantial user intervention.
The problems associated with the manual installation and configuration of adapter boards and peripheral devices for computers are solved by the principles of the present invention. The present invention provides a system for configuring the hardware and software components of a computer by optimally allocating system resources for use by computer devices.
The present invention enables a user of a computer to install a new device by connecting the device to the computer, powering the computer, and using the computer to take advantage of the function supplied by the new device. Likewise, the present invention permits a user to insert a mobile computer into a base station while both the mobile computer and the base station are powered and to reconfigure the mobile computer for operation with the devices connected to the base station. Thus, the present invention addresses the needs of computer users by supplying a computer-implemented process for configuring devices for a computer and for accommodating seamless dynamic configuration changes of the computer.
A system constructed in accordance with the present invention configures devices of a computer by identifying the devices, determining the desired usage of the resources of the computer, detecting and resolving potential conflicting uses of the resources, and allocating resources for use by the devices. An operating system runs on the computer and supports these configuration tasks.
The computer includes various resources, including interrupts, direct memory access (DMA) channels, memory addresses, and input/output (I/O) ports, at least one system bus, and devices. System busses are components that supply physical connections to devices. Each of the devices is connected to one of the system busses of the computer.
The system busses can be compatible with a variety of bus architectures, including the Industry Standard Architecture (ISA), Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) and Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus standards, as well as Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA), Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI), Personal Computer Interface (PCI), Enhanced Capabilities Parallel (ECP), Vesa Local Bus (VL), Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE), and other bus standards. Typical devices supply the functions of system-level components, such as fixed and floppy disk controllers, display, keyboard, and mouse controllers, and serial and parallel controllers, and implement the functions offered by numerous add-on type adapter boards and peripheral devices.
Briefly described, the method for configuring the devices of the computer is started by collecting device information for each of the devices of the computer. This device information acquisition process permits the unique identification of the devices and the description of device characteristics associated with the operation of devices with the computer. A device driver, which enables communications between a corresponding device and the computer, is thereafter identified for each of the devices in response to the device information. The resources, which support the functions of the devices within the computer, are allocated based upon the device information. This allocation process prevents any potential conflicting use of the resources by the devices. In response to resource allocation, the devices are configured and device drivers for the devices are loaded. The devices are thereafter activated for operation with the computer.
More particularly described, the present invention configures devices of a computer based upon the collection of information about the devices and their connections to the system busses of the computer. To collect the device information, a particular device is detected on the system bus of interest and thereafter assigned a device identification code that identifies the particular device as being connected to the selected system bus. At least a portion of the device identification code, specifically an identification code, uniquely identifies the detected device. Logical configuration data, which supplies configuration requirements for operating the particular device with the computer, is also obtained for the detected device. This collection process is repeated until device information is eventually collected for each of the devices for all system busses of the computer.
The device information is stored within computer memory, such as volatile memory, to support the present configuration operation. At least a portion of the system memory is allocated for the storage of device information within a tree-like structure of device nodes. Each device connected to the computer is represented by a device node that stores associated device information. Furthermore, if an identified device represents a newly installed device for the computer, then this device information also can be stored in nonvolatile computer memory, such as a fixed disk, to supply an archival source of such information for future configuration tasks. A computer database having a hierarchical data arrangement is typically used to store this archival device information.
The collection of device information, which is also described as enumeration, is initiated in response to dynamic events that cause an asynchronous change in the operating state of the computer. These events typically affect the use of the resources by the devices of the computer and include: powering the computer; connecting another device to a system bus; removing a device from a system bus; and inserting the computer into or removing the computer from an expansion unit or a docking station.
The collection of device information supplies data that supports the identification of device drivers for the identified devices. A device driver can be obtained from one of several alternative sources of the computer, including selected files of the operating system installed on the computer, the device itself, a computer database maintained by the computer, or from the user via a disk containing the device driver. In general, the device driver for a device is often obtained by accessing a selected program file stored on either a flexed disk or another type of mass memory storage device of the computer.
If the devices of the computer include at least one network adapter, then the system for configuring devices of the computer further includes (1) the identification of xe2x80x9cvirtual devicesxe2x80x9d or layers connected to xe2x80x9cvirtual bussesxe2x80x9d or interfaces and (2) the loading of the identified layers for each of the interfaces. The layers of a network system typically include protocols, rredirectors, and servers, and the interfaces include an interface between the network adapter and the protocols and multiple interfaces between the protocols and associated redirectors and/or servers.
In response to loading the driver for the network adapter, each layer for a particular interface is identified and the layers are subsequently loaded. The layer identification and loading steps are repeated for each layer associated with the remaining interfaces for the network adapter.
To identify the layers for a particular interface, a database of the computer is searched to locate a first entry having an interface identification code that is associated with the particular interface. The first entry also can include one or more layer identification codes that uniquely define the identity of the layers for this interface.
To load an identified layer, a second entry having the layer identification code for this layer is located within the computer database. The second entry also can include a driver identification code that uniquely defines a driver for this layer. By using the driver identification code as a key to search the database, a third entry is then located within the database. The third entry can contain configuration parameters for the driver for the identified layer. In response to this driver-related information, the driver is loaded within system memory of the computer. The configuration parameters are supplied to the driver to complete the loading operation.
The computer database can contain device information associated with a particular device, including information for that particular device, which is also described as a primary device, and information for devices that are xe2x80x9ccompatiblexe2x80x9d with the primary device. For example. a first manufacturer""s device may be compatible with a second manufacturer""s device because both devices perform the same function and conform to an industry standard for operations. If the devices are compatible, a device driver for the first device often can be used to enable the operations of the second device and, likewise, a device driver for the second device can be used with the first device. Thus, a compatible device driver, if available, may be used to enable communications of the particular device with the computer.
The stored device information for a particular device typically can be accessed by searching in the computer database for a location or a record that contains the identification code for the desired device. Thus, the identification code can be used as an entry key to search the records of the computer database. If the device information in a selected record describes the primary device, then the device driver intended for primary use with that device is maintained by the computer and is available to support the device operations. Likewise, a compatible device driver is maintained by the computer if compatible device information is stored within the selected record and associated with the particular device.
By convention, the primary device driver is typically selected to support the computer operations of the primary device over any of the device drivers for compatible devices. However, if the device driver for the primary device is not available, then a device driver for a compatible device is selected. In this event, if the compatible device information lists more than one device that is compatible with the particular device, then the compatible device having the highest priority or ranking is selected and used to support the operations of the particular device.
If neither the primary device driver nor a compatible device driver is available on the computer, then the user can be requested to supply a substitute device driver that supports the operation of the device with the computer. This request is typically supplied as a textual statement displayed on a display or monitor for the computer or as an audio prompt generated by the computer. In response to the request, the user can insert within the proper computer drive a flexible disk or other appropriate electronic media containing the device driver, thereby permitting the computer to access the device driver. The device driver then can be stored within an appropriate mass memory storage device and used to enable the communications between the particular device and the computer.
Resources, which typically include a finite set of resource elements, are allocated by first analyzing the device information to detect whether the devices require a potential conflicting use of resource elements for operation of the devices with the computer. The desired resource element is assigned for use by a device if this resource assignment does not conflict with the use of that particular resource by another device. A resource element is available for use by a device if this element is neither reserved nor assigned for use by another device. Some resource elements are typically reserved for use by selected devices to insure the compatibility of the present invention with existing devices. Thus, if at least two of the devices require use of an identical resource element, then this potential resource conflict is arbitrated and resolved in an iterative manner based upon the device information and the finite resources of the computer. The resources are then assigned for use by the devices based upon this conflict-free solution.
In response to allocating the assigned resources to the devices, the devices are configured for operation with the computer. Each device driver is loaded for use by the corresponding devices and the devices are activated for operation with the computer.
Focusing upon another aspect of the present invention, a system is provided for supporting the bus-specific operations of devices connected to a system bus of a computer. This system, which is alternatively referred to as an enumerator or a bus driver, is assigned to operate with a specific system bus and is programmed to recognize the operating parameters of the assigned bus. Each system bus typically requires a unique configuration process that is based upon the architecture of the bus. The enumerator, which can be part of an operating system, directly supports the configuration of devices on its assigned bus by accessing device information for those devices and storing this data with a central memory. This enables an operating system for the computer to be independent of the characteristics of a computer bus architecture because bus-specific information is handled by an abstraction layer, in this case, the enumerator.
The enumerator can perform three primary operations, specifically (1) detecting dynamic events causing an asynchronous change in the operating state of the computer; (2) enumerating each of the devices connected to the assigned system bus in response to the detection of a dynamic event; and (3) supplying assigned resources to each of the devices in response to an allocation of resources. To implement these operations, the enumerator can include one or more elements that are responsible for those functions, namely an enumerate element, a configure element, and an event detect element. These functions are typically defined by the characteristics of its assigned system bus.
The enumerate element includes a detection module for detecting a particular device on the system bus and a collection module for retrieving device information from the particular device. The collection module obtains device information from the detected device and stores this data within device nodes of the computer memory to maintain an up-to-date inventory of the devices on the assigned system bus. Thus, the detection and collection modules operate in tandem to enumerate these devices. The computer memory can be a hierarchical database structure formed by a tree-like structure containing the device nodes, which represent each of the detected devices.
The configure element can include a receive module for receiving the allocation of assigned resource elements, an assigned resource storage module for storing the assigned resources within the device nodes of the computer memory, and a transmit module for supplying instructions about the assigned resources to the appropriate devices. In response to the assigned resources, the configure element accesses the device nodes in the computer memory and stores the appropriate resource element assignments.
The event detect element typically can detect the installation of a new device on the assigned system bus or the removal of an existing device. For example, device installation or removal can be detected by intercepting a particular interrupt signal or by periodically polling all of the available sockets of the bus to determine the installed devices. Likewise, the event detect element can detect the insertion of a computer into or the removal of a computer from a docking station. The event detect element is further responsive to booting the computer or the power state for the computer. In response to one of these events, the event detect element can supply the event detection information to the enumerate element, thereby initiating the enumeration process. The event detect element also can be responsive to certain query-type instruction signals containing commands for actions by the enumerator. These commands typically include: delete device information in a designated device node because the associated device has been removed from the computer, stop a present operation, and start a new operation.
Turning now to the enumeration process, a method is provided for identifying devices connected to a system bus of a computer having resources. First, a particular device is detected on the system bus. For example, for the widely used ISA bus, devices are detected by instructing each of the devices to enter an inactive state, thereby disabling the function of the device. The detected device on the ISA bus is then isolated from the remaining devices to enable interference-free communication with the detected device. In contrast, for the PCMCIA bus, a particular device is detected by selecting the socket supplying the connection for that device. Thus, it can be seen that device detection is a bus-dependent operation and may vary among different bus architectures.
A device identification code is thereafter assigned to the detected device. The device identification code, which includes an identification code and a system bus code appended to the identification code, typically identifies this device as a certain device type that is connected to the system bus. The identification code typically contains a string of characters, such as American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) characters, which uniquely define the particular device. The identification code is useful for defining both the manufacturer of the associated component and the type of device, and for distinguishing between identical types of devices connected to the same system bus. The system bus code uniquely identifies the system bus associated with the connected device.
Logical configuration data is also obtained for the particular device to acquire the configuration requirements for operating the particular device with the computer. The resources of a computer generally offer a range of options or elements for using the resources. The logical configuration data includes resource requirement information that defines certain resources of the computer which are necessary for proper operation of the particular device with the computer. For example, resource requirement information for a modem may define a resource requirement for an interrupt within the range of interrupts 7-12. The logical configuration data also includes resource dependency information, which defines a particular combination of resource elements that are necessary for device operation. For a modem, typical resource dependency information may define the combination of interrupt IRQ4 with I/O3F8 (COM PORT 2).
The above-described steps of the identification process are repeated for each of the remaining devices connected to the system bus to permit the collection of device information from all connected devices. In the event that a device itself is implemented as a system bus, it may be necessary to identify device drivers, allocate resources, and load the identified device drivers prior to identifying any devices connected to this new system bus. For example, these tasks are typically completed prior to identifying a device connected to the PCMCIA bus which, in turn, is connected to an integrated expansion bus of the computer""s system board, such as an ISA bus.
To assign the device identification code, the identification code can be accessed by reading the identification code from a memory storage device, such as read only memory (ROM) or a register, which is typically mounted on the interface board for the device. The system bus code is subsequently added to the identification code to complete the formation of the device identification code. The device identification code is thereafter typically stored within computer memory to support the configuration process.
Similarly, the logical configuration data can be retrieved from the particular device by reading the logical configuration data from the memory storage device for that device. The logical configuration data is thereafter stored within the computer memory and is associated with the device identification code for the particular device. In the event that the logical configuration data is not available from the particular device, at least a portion of the logical configuration data often can be retrieved from a selected file of the computer operating system, such as a configuration file, e.g., an .INF file.
The resource allocation process is supported by arbitrators that operate to determine the assignment of resource elements to the devices of the computer. An arbitrator is assigned to each resource of the computer and is responsive to the resource requirement information and resource dependency information related to its resource to produce a conflict-free allocation of the resource elements. The arbitrator for a selected resource is programmed to recognize the characteristics of its resource. For example, the arbitrator for a interrupt resource of a conventional personal computer recognizes that this resource includes 16 interrupt elements.
An arbitrator includes an analysis element that is responsive to a possible configuration which defines the set of resource elements that are appropriate for operating the devices with the computer. In response, the analysis element determines whether a particular resource element for a selected device is available for use by the selected device. The arbitrator also includes an assignment element for assigning the particular resource element for use by the selected device in response to determining that the particular resource element is available for use by the selected device.
Focusing upon yet another aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for obtaining a device driver to enable a device to communicate with a computer. The computer includes a database containing a set of records. Each record contains both a device identification field for storing the identification code of a primary device and a compatible device identification field for storing identification codes for compatible devices and at least one type of compatible device-related data.
Reviewing the data structure for a database record, the device identification field permits the recording of an identification code that identifies a primary device for operation with the computer. Likewise, the compatible device identification field permits the recording of both an identification code that identifies the primary device and identification codes that identify compatible devices. If the compatible device identification field contains an entry for the primary device, then a device driver specifically intended to support the computer operations of that primary device is available on the computer. Likewise, compatible device drivers are available to support computer operations for both the primary device and other associated compatible devices if the compatible device identification field contains identification codes for compatible devices.
As an option, the compatible device identification field also permits the recording of priority data to permit a further distinction between the devices represented by the compatible device identification codes. The priority data supports the selection for a device driver of one of the compatible devices over another compatible device driver based upon the assigned rankings of the compatible devices. For example, the priority data can include a preferred use ranking or priority assigned by the vendors for the compatible devices. The compatible device having the highest priority ranking is typically selected for installation.
To obtain the device driver for a certain primary device, the computer database is searched to locate a selected record which is associated with that device. The identification code for this device is used as the entry key for the database because it identifies the desired device. Upon locating the selected record, the compatible device identification field is reviewed to determine if this field contains the identification code for the certain primary device.
If the identification code for the certain primary device is located within the compatible device identification field of the selected record, then the corresponding primary device driver is selected for use with the computer. Upon identifying the proper device driver. the task of retrieving the desired device driver from its storage location is controlled by the operating system in a conventional manner. The identified primary device driver often can be retrieved from the mass memory storage device of the computer.
However, in the event that the compatible device identification field does not contain the identification code for this primary device, then this field is examined to determine if it contains one or more of the identification codes for compatible devices. If so, then the compatible device having the highest priority is selected and the corresponding device driver is retrieved from the computer.
In the event that the compatible device identification field does not contain an identification code for a compatible device, then the computer supplies to the user an indication of the absence of the necessary driver for associated device. This indication can be a text-based or a combined text/graphics message, which is displayed by the computer monitor or supplied to a printer, or an audio prompt or statement.
In furtherance of these principles, it is an object of the present invention to provide a system for configuring devices of a computer.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system for configuring a new device connected to a computer.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system for identifying the devices connected to a computer.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system that identifies the resource usage and system resource options for a device by obtaining such information from the device.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system that optimally allocates resources for use by the devices of the computer.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system that identifies the devices of the computer, determines a working configuration for the devices, and loads the appropriate device drivers.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system that accommodates seamless-dynamic configuration of resources by enabling the configuration of devices in response to docking a mobile computer to a base station, removing the mobile computer from the base station, adding a new device to a computer, or removing a device from the computer.
It is a further object of the present invention to supply remote and local access to information directed to the present configuration of the computer and the types of devices connected to the computer.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system for configuring a network system.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system for configuring a network adapter of a computer.
That the present invention accomplishes these objects and offers the above-described advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawings.